April honors sacrifices of children, families of those who serve our country

April is nationally recognized as the Month of the Military Child, which is a time to remember the children of those who serve our country.

According the Department of Defense Education Activity website, the Month of the Military Child was established by former Defense Secretary Caspar Weinberger in 1986.

"Sponsored by the Department of Defense Military Community and Family Policy, the Month of the Military Child is a time to applaud military families and their children for the daily sacrifices they make and the challenges they overcome," the DoDEA website states.

According to the Military Child Education Coalition (MCEC), military children can move around six to nine times from the time they enter kindergarten to the time they graduate.

"As a demographic, military-connected children number almost 4 million, 75 percent of whom are school-age," MCEC stated in a press release about the Month of the Military Child. "Almost every school district in America includes military-connected children and youth whose parents serve or served in the Active, Guard, and Reserve components of the Armed Forces. Over 80 percent of these students attend U.S. public schools while less than 8 percent attend Department of Defense schools."

There are currently 63 documented military children who attend Daleville City Schools. These students are spread throughout the grades.

Windham Elementary School fourth grader Syielle Nicholson said she is proud of her father's service in the Army. She has traveled to Louisiana thanks to her father's military career and will be moving to Colorado in the coming months.

She encouraged other military children to stay strong and happy while their family serves in the military.

"They (should) stay strong and proud," she said.

Sixth grader Noah Falcone said living life as a military child can be confusing at times, but he is also proud of his father's service to his country.

"You don't know if they're ever going to come back," he said. "It's scary; you're just confused a lot when your family is in the military."

He encouraged other military children to remember their family at all times.

"Stay strong and believe in your family," he said.

This is similar to what Alana Gordon, a freshman at Daleville High School, shared as advice for other military children.

"If you have siblings or any other family, just surround yourself with them and get closer to them because whenever your parent isn't there, that's when you'll need them the most," she said.

She and her brother, Joseph Gordon, have moved around the world thanks to their mother's career in the military. They have lived in Hawaii, Georgia, Alabama and Germany.

Joseph Gordon said he remembers each of the times his family has moved "pretty well."

"It's just hard when you first move because you get friends and you make all these relationships, and then in a year or two, they're gone and you have to start over again," he said. "That's probably the hardest part."

Alana Gordon said she would find it hard to leave friends when her family moved.

"I got used to the place, and I got myself attached to the people there and our surroundings, and then it was you had to leave," she said.

Both Joseph and Alana said it was also hard when their mother was deployed and they had to stay behind.

"Whenever we went to Germany, she had gone out there a year before us, so we didn't see her for a really long time. It was just hard not being with her," Alana Gordon said.

"You get to talk, but it's never as much as you want to," Joseph Gordon said.

He did say that being a military child does allow children to have unique experiences.

"You get to explore the world," he said. "When we lived in Germany, we went on trips to Belgium, Austria and France. You get to see a lot more, and you have a better appreciation for different cultures because you don't have to just read about it in a book or (see it) on TV, you can go experience it."

His advice to other military children was to do their best in school to make each move easier.

"When you move, you never know what kind of school system you're going into, so wherever you move, try to stay ahead," he said. "In some places, you'll be ahead when you get there, and in other places, you'll be behind. (Continue) doing good in school."

Immanuella Montalvo's father recently retired from the Army. During his career, she has moved around the world as well, living in Texas, Alabama, Germany and other areas.

She said she found it easy to meet new people each time she moved.

"It wasn't hard (being a military child) because I talked to a lot of people," she said. "It was hard leaving people, my friends, but it wasn't hard meeting people."

The Wiregrass area is known for its support of the military community. She said she has seen that with the programs offered through the schools here.

"With the school, I know we used to have an S2S program for new military kids or new students that came," she said. "People who were not in the military would help show the kids around school and just be their friends just in case it was hard for them to meet people."

Her advice to fellow military children is to "keep an open mind."

"I would say for them to keep an open mind," she said. "When meeting people, don't be so scared, always pray for whoever is deployed and just try as much as you can to keep in contact with them so you won't lose your relationship as much."

Torrey Hobdy had a different experience as a military child. Hobdy said he grew up in the Wiregrass, so he did not have to move from place to place like other military students.

"It seemed like a normal (childhood)," he said. "I didn't really miss out. I got to make a lot of friends and (didn't) move from place to place."

He said his father is currently deployed to Cuba, which means he still experiences not having his parent near him all the time.

"We Skype a lot," he said. "It's hard when you don't see them every day. You can't ask them certain things."

He said it "feels good" to know his father is serving his country, and his advice to other military children was to remember why their parents are serving.

"They're doing it for the greater good," he said. "They want to see you be successful, so they have to sacrifice not being there for you and not doing certain things for you just for the greater good."